Marcus Borg, The heart of Christianity, The Kingdom of God

Marcus Borg, The heart of Christianity, The Kingdom of God

Continuing my random thoughts and summary...

This chapter 'The Kingdom of God' has a strong emphasis on Justice. Many authors have written about this lately. Those which I have read are Brian Mclaren and Tom Wright. For me it was a massive shift when the Kingdom of God was associated with 'Signs and Wonders' to an abnormal degree, when I was in the Vineyard.

Borg writes for of reasons justice has not been emphasised because::

1. Christianity been the dominant religion for so long meant the political message of the Kingdom became mute.
2. 'God's Justice' has been misunderstood. "Theolgically it is seen as the opposite of "God's mercy", "God's Justice" is understood as God's deserved punishment for us for our sins, "God's mercy" as God's loving forgiveness of us in spite of our guilt. Given this choice, we would prefer God;s mecy and hope to escape God's justice. But seeing the opposite of the jusice as mecy distorts what the Bible means by justice.
3. Borg mentions the US but I think most western countrys there is an ethos of individualism where people are 'self-made. To the detriment of 'Social Systems' which may have grave errors in them.

Borg gives an overview of God's passion in the Bible

Hebrew Bible:: Justice goes back to the begining, Prophets where often against suffering

New Testement:: 'Kingdom of God' was the message and passion of Jesus. It has many meanings

• Kingdom of God is political, specifically for the time Jesus said these words
• Kingdoms where a real part of life 2000 years ago, most lived in Herods Kingdom, Ceasers Kingdom Jesus spoke of Kingdom of God. Kingdom of God was a theo-political metaphor.
• Kingdom of God:: Living on earth as if God was King and current rulers where not (I like this!)
• Kingdom of God was also somthing for the earth, and what was happening on earth. Not about heaven as often been assumed. Borg writes 'Among the reasons is a linguistic decision made by the author of Mathew. He freferred to avioid using the word 'God', presumable for reverential reasons. (Not sure this is a stong argument).

::Jesus is Lord:: Many of names for Jesus where taken directly from names for Ceasar. 'Jesus is Lord' was a direct challenge to Ceasar.

::Christians had a very negative view of the current kingdom 2000 years ago, can be seen very well with Revelations.

::The Cross, not only does it reveal a path to personal transformation also it also afirms Jesus vision of the Kingdom on earth and against ingrained stuctural issues in society.

Meaning for us now

::The message of the Kingodm of 2000 years ago is the same as today, we should rail against corrupt and poor systems.

::The Church has a role in making aware of poor governmental systems.

Borg's conclusion was somthing which I thought made good sense::

Conservatives has overemphasised person transformation over the message of the Kingdom. Liberals have been the opposite, emphasising social transformation without the Spiritual transformation. "What we see in Jesus and the Bible answers our deepest personal longing, to be born again, and the world's greatest need the Kingdom of God. "

 

 

Choosing our theology

Interesting post from "The Naked Pastor", "Drawing lightning tree and bad theology", it got me thinking with this line.

But I’m just starting to see that we actually choose our theology. Our theology rarely chooses us. I am convinced that we always choose ideas that support what we already believe. We find proofs to buttress our worldview.

So for myself do I believe this? MMmmm.

Initially theology chose me. It was part of the Church I went to, the social group that I belonged to. It also gave me something to hang on to during that turbulent period between teenage years and adulthood. I had no reason to question it.

Then most probably because, I became a lot more self assured and had a great deal more knowledge about theology. It became ok to question my theology, to see there was more than one option. I then had choice.

For me been opened up to more than one way of looking at the Bible saved me, this knowledge helped me to keep hanging in there with Christianity. The Naked pastor is right that 'we need to find proofs to buttress our worldview'. Theology is ultimately making sense of the world and how God fits with this.

While I think where people do not have the choice of theology, they fall away. Some slowly others rapidly. A room with four walls, no doors or windows, no way out.

 

Light still the fastest thing around

I was a bit disappointed when I discovered the Einstein's theory that light was the fastest thing in the univerese has been retained.

It had been going around that scientists has thought late last year that they had measured some sub-atomic particles had been travelling faster than light.

Unfortunatley it turns out that the measurment was due to a loose cable.

From The Age

...James Gillies, a spokesman for CERN, said on Wednesday the lab's startling result was now in doubt. Earlier on Wednesday, ScienceInsider, a website run by the respected American Association for the Advancement of Science, reported that the surprising result was down to a loose fibre-optic cable linking a Global Positioning System satellite receiver to a computer.

The whole idea that we might be able to travell to distant stars has always been a dream to me. Especially after reading so much science fiction. I'm sure something new will turn up to keep the flame alive.

Solace

One of this years resolutions for us is monthly heading to Melbourne to go to a Church called Solace. For a few reasons, the girls to know that there are other children who go to Church, for ourselves to continue to engage with Churches which are a bit out there. Also for all of us, a filling up Spiritually. (I like the Uniting Church, but we are definitely the youngest, and this in itself is problematic in many ways)

Yesterday there was a bit of a write up in The Age on Solace. It seemed a pretty reasonable article. I liked Olivia's comment that the Church is based on 'Jesus Centered Spirituality'; which can have a lot of meanings. I like the ambiguity. Not the typical 'We believe'.

The article did leave me with some questions, Why did they leave the Anglican Church. Or maybe they didn't leave...

 

 

Goodbye Mactalk

There are some RSS feeds which I really enjoy getting, one of them is Mactalk. Mactalk is an Australian website for news on apple as well as a forum where members help others and discuss apple products. I used to really enjoy getting my 'morning news' with a picture of 'Steve Jobs'. Then...

• The feeds became truncated; meaning that you had to go to the actual website. Painful but a few websites do this so that you visit there site and cast your eyes on some of there adds. The price you often pay for good news.
  
• a few months later, everytime you went to the MacTalk site on your ipad I was asked do you want to download some forum application. Again painful
  
• After Christmas I was getting 'Sponsered feeds' These had actually no conection at all with anything, Apple. Not what I want on my RSS feed
  
• I had noticed when reflecting that there were really no real Australian Apple stories like old times, most were just blah rehashed from other American sites.

A lot of these issues and reasons are discussed in this post from MacTalk; much of which I didn't know. But for me its to late. I can get my news from American sites and my forum lurking will happen at whirlpool.

Its interesting to read that according to alexa, Malktalk pageviews have dropped 33% and bounce has increased 1% to 80% of visitors only go to one page. It looks like I'm not the only one moving on.

Labor, I lower my head and weep

Since 2007 In which Labor brought in hope with a new government, now all is despair. Rudd quitting the front bench only confirmed that all was not well with the labor government leadership. The public can only see a fractured labor, and who wants that sort of leadership running the country. Its terminal.

Rudd:: In many ways brillant, but can he lead others instead of micro manage, I doubt it. His time is up. Having not sided with any of the Labour factions, once his popularity slipped he was gone. He will never be leader again without factional support.

Gillard :: The lady with the knife. She lost the election, but hobbled together a coalition. Poor popularity. The one who went behind Kevin Rudd's back and stole the leadship. Then broken major promices. The only reason she is in power is because of the 'faceless men'. I think she has done well navigating some of the legislation through parlement. Though integrity has a lot of political captial she has zip.

The only hope for Labor is a new leader. I can only see Stephen Smith. Even then I doubt he could defeat Abbot. I doubt that with the fragile numbers in the house of represenatives that the governement will last 3 months. Shame a really.

 

 

Starman the truth behind the legend of Yuri Gagarin

Starman the truth behind the legend of Yuri Gagarin by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony

This is a book which I've had on my list for a while. I enjoy history especially around the cold war. The Space race was prohibitively expensive and would probably never happen without the Soviet US rivalry.

Yuri Gagarin the first man in space was a pawn in a political drama that played around him.

A few things that I thought were of interest::

• - Gagarin didn't actually land in a capsule, he parachuted out. This was deliberately kept a secret by the Soviets so that they could claim a few world records.
  
• -The Vostock capsule was all automated, the only way it could be overridden was if Soviet ground control gave the Cosmonaut the code to override. (By the time they got it, it probably would have been to late...) Gagarin was secretively given the code anyway!
  
• -The first flight by Gagarin had major re-entry problems which was never mentioned at the time by the Soviets.
  

There were a number of things in the biography which I wanted to find out, such as his relationship with his children and wife. Where are they there now? I think it is a glaring omission in some ways.

Much of the novel left me wondering about the sources. Were they 'official Soviet' or now latter. One of the new bits of information to come to the book was from an ex-KGB person Russayev. Yet it would seem according the what I could find on the net, there is little or any information who this Russayev, if he ever was known to Gurgarin.

One of the most harrowing of chapters was the first doomed Soyuz flight, which was piloted by Komarov. Things just kept on going wrong during the flight until its doomed decent. This event was eavesdropped by US Security agents in Turkey. Gagarin was the emergency cosmonaut and months prior to the flight thought that the ship was not adequately tested and ready for flight. The whole episode would make a great hollywood movie.

The last chapter by the authors sums up his life and character which I think on the whole is correct yet they throw in the line: "He was an adulterer who never really betrayed his wife and family" I found this conflicting as two separate incidents are revealed where he attempted adultery.

This is a good biography, but not brilliant. Much about the man is yet to be revealed.

 

Hope

Hope is a strange thing. You don't know that you need to think about it usually until it is to late. The Sh#t has has already hit the fan.

I did my major Old Testement essay on the afterlife. It was obscure, many scholars infusing New Testement ideas into the Old. But from what I could gather Jews from the Old Testement did not believe in a heaven as such. There was sheol the place for the dead, but it was no heaven. A waiting room, waiting for the messiah. Maybe a new earth, but not the Christian equivalent of heaven. The Old Testements ideas of the afterlife  are full of metaphors which many things can be read into.

Was the ideas of heaven even in the Old Testement? Old Testement scholars argue and point to obsure references, which then become clearer when the New Testement came along. But just reading the unadulterated text I'd say no. Heaven, the glorious afterlife didn't exist. 

One Jewish idea from the Old Testement was that new life or eternity was given though the Childern. Hope for the future after death was found in Children; if not your own maybe your brothers or some other relative. 

So if you where given a diagnosis of terminal cancer; a hopeless situation. What would you do? Where would your hope come from?

The hope of heaven, which nobody has even come back to tell us about?

or

To look at the face of a child and see hope?

I don't know. Both are appealing yet not fully satisfying.

For me when I am in a hopeless situation, and I admit I have never faced a life threatening situation. I look at psalm 23. For me it is very much the here and now. To be remined, centered. That God's presence is here, now. That that His presence is a place of peace. That God, in his nature, eventually turns troubled times, into good. Even if we cannot see it happening now or into the future. 

 

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 
 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, 
he leads me beside quiet waters, 
 ³ he refreshes my soul. 
He guides me along the right paths 
   for his name’s sake. 
⁴ Even though I walk 
   through the darkest valley,^[a] 
I will fear no evil, 
   for you are with me; 
your rod and your staff, 
   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me 
   in the presence of my enemies. 
You anoint my head with oil; 
   my cup overflows. 
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me 
   all the days of my life, 
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD 

 

Goodbye Egg and Spoon

 

Dropping off Jemima to school I headed over with Jo to one of our favorite places for a coffee, the Egg and Spoon. Only to discover that it was shut, for good. Due to 'Family Illness'.

The coffee was good; Brian got my piccolo just to my liking. The food was pretty much all made in the kitchen by Amanda. A rarity these day!

Goodbye, you will be missed!

 

Watch out for those old Libs

 The reason's for the irratic planning decisions by state planning minister Mr Guy is starting to unravel. The Age has discovered a couple of phone calls by former state liberal member Mr Maclellan to presumably pressure him into allowing the change in zoning and allow building. He did so on behalf of 'family friends'....

Mr Maclellan's approaches to Mr Guy's office on behalf of developer and Liberal Party member Jim Hopkins - a family friend of Mr Maclellan's - raise fresh questions for Mr Guy about possible political influence on his decision-making

The article also for the first time reveals the position on the issue of current state members for Bass Mr Ken Smith. He was supportive of the development! I find this strange for a number of reasons

1. There is ample amount of land already for sale on Phillip Island
2.  The cost of land has not really gone up for the last 2-3 years.
   
3. The majority of residents on the island were against developing that corridor
4. The decision overturned Bass councils development planning, which seems reasonable. 

The only person who made sence in the liberal party was Mr Greg Hunt member for Flinders who actually advoctated on behalf of his constituntes to stop the development.

Even though Mr Hunt is across Western Port Bay, he makes good decisions. It makes me wonder; maybe the other liberals Mr Smith and Mr Maclellan are a little to close.

Death, Nursing and God's presence.

If you were to ask me out of the two professions which I have studied and worked, which gave me a greater feeling of God's presence? I would say for sure during my time as a nurse in palliative care. 

I read somewhere (and for the life of me I cannot find out where), that during the middle ages when a person was extremely close to death; there would be a multitude of people wanting to be near the dying person at the moment of life's extinction. The reason was that there was a belief that you could catch a glimpse of heaven as the person died and went to heaven. This was a phenomenon which people longed for; a look, even for an instant of heaven. 

While I have not have seen a wink of heaven. I have felt at times a presence, the supernatural; God. More times during nursing I have felt God through his people (in a univeral sence). In their extremes of incredible pain, conflct, turmoil. For me there is a presence, which helps me to be centred; even if the other participants in the events do not know it.

The studying of Scripture or the participation in worship I never had these expereinces of the presence of God. Scripture did help me focus, to reflect on God. Worship through liturgy would do the same. Charismatic worship would come close but there was to much manipulation to be real, for me. You can get the same buzz from a rock concert...

It is the God of the everyday which I wish to engage with. Nursing is good at that. The God of real life. Admittedly church helps me to focus and relflect on God, a reminder, of his characteristics. But as a replacement, to God of the everyday. No I actually think this is wrong. To seek God's face is an everyday experience. Not to be compentmentalised on a Sunday morning.